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Every morning, John does many of the same things. First, he gets out of bed and cleans up. After that, he sits down at the table and reads the morning news. As he reads, he eats his breakfast - the first meal of the day. He eats bread, two cooked eggs and coffee. Then he leaves for his job.
Izumi s morning is very similar to John s. But her breakfast looks very different. She eats cooked white rice, hot, good tasting liquid called soup, and some vegetables.
People in every country eat morning meals. But these meals can be very different. Today s Spotlight is on breakfast around the world.
The word breakfast is a combination of two other English words: break and fast. Fast, in this way, means going without food or eating. So when you get up from sleeping, you break, or end, your fast. You were not eating during the night and now you are.
The Mayo Clinic is a respected hospital in the United States. Doctors there say something about breakfast. They say that a healthy breakfast helps give people more energy for the day. If people do not have breakfast, they will get tired sooner. They will have trouble concentrating on their work. In fact, many doctors and experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Patty Beckwith is a doctor who helps people with eating healthy meals. She told the University of California at Los Angeles health website:
A healthy breakfast may seem hard, but it is not. Bread with peanut butter and some orange juice, or half a piece of fruit will do it.
Breakfast is also good for your health. If you eat in the morning, you may eat less at the other meals in the day. This is because you are not as hungry. Because of this, eating breakfast helps you weigh less. And eating breakfast every day can even lower a person s chance of having heart problems!
But what is a healthy breakfast? Experts and doctors around the world agree that a healthy breakfast contains four different foods. First, it should contain grains. In most places, this is some kind of bread or rice. Second, a protein that is low in fat. In many countries, this is an egg, fish or some meat.
Third, a healthy breakfast needs some dairy - or milk products. Milk contains calcium, an element which helps make bones stronger. However, in some countries like Japan, they do not drink a lot of milk. Instead, they have soy plants and other foods that have the same elements. And last, it is important to have a fruit or a vegetable in your breakfast. This will help give you energy for the day.
Most countries have their own breakfast traditions. For example, John s breakfast, from the beginning of this program, is a common breakfast in the United States. It contained bread, eggs, and coffee.
Izumi s breakfast is traditional in Japan. It included white rice and miso soup. Miso soup is a liquid made from potatoes and vegetables. Izumi also ate pickles, made from specially treated vegetables. This is very similar to other meals in the day. In Asia, breakfast does not usually mean eating different food than other meals.